Poisonous Mistake
by Azaisya
Summary: Reyna hasn't come out of her room all day, and Jason is starting to worry. A single Greek has promised to destroy all Romans. Good thing the gods want to keep the two camps apart. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HOO, cause if I did, then Jeyna would be canon. Rick Riordan is the guy who created Piper in the first place. **

**Oh, and sorry if anyone is OOC (out of character). **

Jason smirked when he saw Reyna still asleep in bed, her ebony hair a mess around her face, despite the fact that the sun had already risen. The young praetor normally awoke before dawn. It was she who made sure that the paperwork was already done (Frankly, Jason was glad Reyna did most of it), she who did most of the hardest, most tiring, most time consuming work.

Sure, he teased her (often, actually) about how she nagged him about work, while silently reveling in the fact that he got most of the fun jobs. But, hey, if Reyna wanted to take the less-than-fun work, there was absolutely no way that Jason was going to object.

In fact, Jason often wondered why Reyna was willing to do so much. But he wasn't going to question it.

Jason slowly backed away, still grinning. Reyna deserved at least _one _day of sleeping in. She had stayed up most of the night working on (of all boring things) paperwork. Besides, Jason was fairly sure that the young woman would freak out once she realized she'd overslept. That would be something worth seeing.

* * *

Later, much _much_ later, and Jason was starting to get worried. After all, it wasn't much longer until midday, and there was absolutely _no_ way that Reyna (_especially_ not Reyna) would sleep that long.

He'd already been forced to sit through one of Octavian's lectures about . . . _something_. Honestly, Jason hadn't really been listening. He'd been too busy thinking about . . . other stuff. Normally, it was Reyna who'd nudge him, keep him focused, but she wasn't there. So he'd had to listen to the stupid augur rant all day.

Okay. It hadn't really been all day. But Jason just couldn't still for that long! He was ADHD!

Whenever anybody asked where the other praetor was, he simply said, "She is currently busy elsewhere." _Sleeping_, his brain added enviously.

* * *

Finally, after lunch, Jason decided to check on her. He'd barely walked into the entrance of Reyna's quarters when his instincts told him to draw his sword or _run run run_ _runrunrunrunrunrun_!

Naturally, he chose the former, tucking his hand into the pouch at his waist, where it sat above the various plates of armor he had to wear for meetings and such (really, pockets and jeans were so much easier). Nervously jerking the purple cape further off his shoulders, Jason drew Ivlivs out, turning the coin over and over in his hand. It was a nervous habit of his.

Then he went through another doorway.

His vision instantly went red. Jason didn't scream. He didn't panic. No, he was a Roman.

So, naturally, he froze, eyes wide, horrified.

Lying unconscious in the middle of the room was a young woman wearing the purple cape of praetor, her golden armor reflecting the dancing light of the torch nestled into a corner of the room.

Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano.

Her black hair was braided, but it was coming undone at the end. Her dagger — made of Imperial gold — was lying in her limp hand, and Jason really didn't like the way her two metal dogs weren't here (as much as he hated them). An arrow with white feathers with gold-brown flecks stuck out of her side. The very scene made his blood run cold.

Quickly, the son of Jupiter flipped Ivlivs, darting through the room with his sword in hand to stand between his fellow praetor and the general direction the arrow shaft was pointing at.

Cautiously making sure the point of his sword was aimed at the only hiding spot in that direction, Jason said, firmly, "Reveal yourself."

A cocky voice answered. "Yeah right, Roman. I'm not an idiot."

There was the sound of an arrow being nocked, and a bowstring being pulled back, the bow creaking.

Jason moved the sword into more of a defensive position, eyes searching the room. "Who are you and what do you have against the praetors?" He was assuming it was just the praetors and not the whole of Camp Jupiter. It wasn't a monster, that was for sure. Monsters couldn't get into camp.

"Tyler, son of Apollo," the kid declared, stepping out of the shadows. He was standing on the shoulder of a statue of Jupiter (for some reason, there were quite a few of those in both his and Reyna's praetor quarters), bow drawn and readied. He had freckles, a pale narrow face, blue eyes, and floppy sandy hair. "And I'm going to kill _all_ of the Romans."

Jason's first thought was: _Graecus_. His second thought: _Wait, what?_ Keeping his voice level, radiating power (like Reyna had taught him to), he said aloud, "You intend to wipe out the whole of Camp Jupiter?" _Good luck, punk_. "Alone?" he asked skeptically.

Tyler blushed. "Well . . . I tried to bring some friends, but as soon as I told them about the Romans, and the camp, and where it was. . . . Well, they just kinda forgot after five seconds." His youthful face hardened. "Even Chiron thought I was crazy. He told me to just stay in camp like a good _little_ boy." His voice became bitterly sarcastic. "I bet he forgot about you guys after five seconds, too. But I haven't. Romans are a threat! They must be wiped out!" He was practically spitting, and the gleam in his eye was maniacal.

From behind Jason, Reyna groaned. Hope surged within him. She wasn't dead! That was good. Very good. The fear within him began to recede.

Tyler's eyes narrowed, and he adjusted his arrow. "How is she still alive?"

Jason thought the kid was just talking to himself, so he didn't answer. Continuing, the crazy son-of-a-paul-oh said, "Nevermind. It's not important. What's important is killing Romans. You're next."

Jason nudged Reyna with his heel, hoping to spur her into action (arrow in her side notwithstanding). He could really use her help against the crazy _graecus_. Instead, he thought, _Keep him talking . . . keep him talking . . . but what am I supposed to say?_ "Um . . . is this some sort of trap? Kill one person, the next comes in—"

"Yep!" Tyler nodded proudly. "They're too worried about their precious dead friends, that they aren't thinking about the killer!"

Jason knew better than to say, _Right. Cause the whole of New Rome will totally come bursting into Reyna's bedchambers. _"That's genius! Except there's a little flaw."

Tyler shook his head impatiently. "I don't care. I still get to kill you and her, and you're both obviously important." He shrugged his shoulders. "You know, with the cape and all."

"Um. . . ." Jason was wracking his brain, trying to find said flaw, but his brain really wanted to just focus on the young woman behind him, and the fact that she could be _dying_!

"You're scared of me!" the boy crowed.

That jerked Jason back to the present. "Am not!" He was debating whether or not to turn Ivlivs into a spear and kill the jerk from here. Reyna stirred behind him again, but Jason daren't look away from Tyler.

"You should be!" Now he was just being obnoxious. "Cause I've got this arrow tipped in Gorgon's blood. It'll kill you instantly. I've already shot one at her."

"Wait. Where'd you get that?" Jason demanded, heading Reyna moving slightly behind him. However, when he nudged her with his heel, he could tell she was still on the ground.

Tyler's face fell. "After I killed a gorgon I got two vials of its poison. Only enough for two arrows."

And that was when Jason realized this _graecus_' mistake. "You used one for her. And now you're going to kill me with another." He was fighting back a grin.

Still not turning his head, he asked, "You alright, Rey?"

And when Reyna's voice replied, albeit shaky, he knew his hypothesis was right. "Except for the arrow, I'm fine." Jason finally turned, grinning, to see the black-haired praetor stand up, the arrow in her hand. Lowering her voice, she said, "So . . . do we kill?"

The _graecus_' face was white. "How are you still alive?"

Jason replied jubilantly, "Blood from one side of a gorgon kills. The other heals." Tyler's eyes widened.

Reyna's voice was cold, her eyes stony. "Do you honestly think that you'd be able to get away with this? New Rome will not fall so easily." Not that was the Reyna that was able to rule New Rome, to make grown men quake.

Tyler tried to step back, but he had obviously forgotten he was standing on a statue. He yelped and just barely grabbed Jupiter's almighty ear to keep his balance. He still had his bow, but the arrow covered with the deadly poison had fallen with a clatter. "No!" the _graecus_ howled.

With an angry snarl, he nocked another arrow. There was a whistle as it flew, a dull thud, and Reyna had grabbed Ivlivs.

With a cry of rage, the daughter of Bellona hurled Ivlivs at the boy. Tyler yelped and staggered backwards, falling off the statue and landing hard on the floor. Reyna shoved her dagger into Jason's hand, and the son of Jupiter leapt into action, racing towards the graecus.

As he went, several things ran through his mind, flashing quick as lightning. _Did Reyna just steal Ivlivs? _Then_, She missed! _Then_, Is she going to follow to help?_

But by then he was already nearing the boy, whose eyes were widening in fear. Tyler struggled to nock an arrow in time, but neither the _graecus_ or Jason had time to do anything before there was a flash of light, and the booming sound of thunder.

Jason fell backwards, momentarily blinded, automatically holding Reyna's dagger between him and his foe.

When his eyes cleared, Jason realized several things at once. One, the statue of Jupiter was glowing. Two, nothing was left of Tyler-son-of-Apollo but a pile of ashes. Three, the smell of burnt . . . _something_ was in the air. Four, Ivlivs was behind said pile. Five . . . wait. Where was Reyna?

Jason turned around, suddenly terrified and worried and desperate, to see the young praetor kneeling on the floor, swearing in Latin under her breath, black wisps escaping her braid to hang around her face.

Jason raced back towards her, horrified. "Reyna! What's wrong?"

She swore again and staggered up, red blood staining her cloak. "Stupid . . . _graecus_ . . . archer!" Jason quickly grabbed one of her arms and dragged it over his shoulder, wrapping his other arm around her waist to support her. The young woman swore in Latin. "I'm fine!"

"Yeah, right." Jason began to lead her out the door, desperate to get her somewhere where the medics would be able to help.

She struggled to stand on her own, and Jason hissed, "Reyna. . . ."

The ebony-haired girl's eyes were blazing. "I will be fine, Jason. Honest." Then she gasped in pain and slumped forwards, unconscious.

Jason caught her and quickly picked her up, still desperate to get her to where somebody could help. "Gods, Reyna," he muttered, mostly because the silence was getting to him, "Of course you leave me with the heavy work and get off easy."

The healers took the female praetor away immediately, leaving Jason alone with his fear, his worry, his terror. He couldn't stop pacing in the room where Tyler had been lightning-ed.

The healers had asked him how he'd been injured, and Jason had said, "She was attacked by a—" _Graecus_, he'd tried to finish. But the words never left his mouth. Unbidden, his tongue said, "Madman." He'd tried again, but all that came out was: "A crazy guy."

He was playing with Ivlivs again, desperate. He knew that just by pacing, by worrying, by thinking of all the what-if's, he was going to drive himself insane. But what else could he do?

They wouldn't let him in, and, frankly, he could see why. Different genders, obviously.

But he couldn't just stand here! Jason sped up his pace, and instead walked circles around the ash pile.

* * *

Reyna felt fine after the healers had fixed her up. Honest. She did. She just felt a little achy, but she would live.

The _graecus_ issue was something she couldn't forget, though. Multiple times, she had tried to tell someone — anyone who would come near enough for her to talk to — about the Greek, but her mouth had refused to say what she wanted it to say. _Idiot. Jerk. Archer. _Anything _but_ graecus!

Reyna had had to order the medics to let her go, because they obviously thought she shouldn't have gotten up. But she was _fine_. Two arrows to the same spot — little _graecus_' arrows had found the same chink in her armor _twice_ — and she had gotten away practically scotch-free.

"Reyna!"

She turned, brightening.

The blond young man who ran towards her was practically radiating relief. "Reyna! You're alright?"

Her eyes warmed at the sight of him. Something about her fellow praetor made it so _easy_ to drop her walls, to laugh, to warm to him. At first it had scared her, so she had kept him at arm's length, alienated him. But after a while, his constant light-heartedness, his constant humor, his constant talking, had finally gotten to her.

What she would give to see his face again when she had finally laughed at one of his stupid comments. . . .

But she had a reputation to uphold. She simply raised her chin, struggling to keep the silly smile that was threatening to escape from doing just that. But her eyes betrayed her. "Of course I'm fine, Jason. It'll take more than a simple," _graecus_, she tried to say, "fool to take me down."

He laughed, and his arms were around her, and he was hugging her, and she was laughing, and everything was perfect.

That was the day he first kissed her. As soon as Reyna's lips met Jason's, she did something she never thought she'd do. She fell limp in his arms like some kind of flimsy school girl, practically melting as his arms — so strong — gripped her more firmly.

That night, when asked about who attacked, neither Reyna not Jason could remember clearly. And, up in Olympus, the gods were relieved. Their children were still kept apart.

And Reyna and Jason were both happy.

**So...yeah. I honestly don't think this is one of my better works. In my head, it was waaaaaaaaaaay better. I'll try to edit later, when the house isn't super noisy and Superbowl-ed. Thanks for reading! Please review! And please point out any mistakes and I'm very very very sorry if anyone is OOC.**

**Edit: So I edited, and to those who've read it (I know there are a LOT of lurkers out there...), I am very sorry that I changed from 3rd person to 1st person (twice...). And that I forgot the change-POV thing. And the other stupid mistakes I made. Well... it's fixed now! Hopefully...**


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